In Poland, whey from the production of traditional mountain cheeses is used to make żentyca, one of several traditional products made from milk from Polish mountain sheep raised in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. Żentyca is produced by heating whey to 90°C, that is the temperature at which the whey proteins coagulate and, by being lighter, they form a tender skin on the surface of liquid heated in the cheese vat. This skin is removed from the surface and with a little of remaining whey it is poured as żentyca into a wooden barrel, where it undergoes fermentation by own natural microflora. Research on this unique product is very rare, so the purpose of our study was to evaluate the nutritional and dietary value of żentyca depending on the production date. The samples were taken in shepherd’s huts located along the “Oscypek Trail”, during the sheep grazing period in the Carpathian Mountains, at the beginning (May) and the end (September) of the period. The tested traditional product was characterized by high mean dry matter content and low pH. The study proved that the month in which żentyca was made had an impact on the product quality. Żentyca made from milk produced at the onset of the grazing period contained more protein, lactose and phosphorus but less fat than the product made in the late grazing period. The production month also had influence on percentages of individual protein fractions, and over 60% of the analysed amino acids had varied shares in the protein depending on the żentyca production date. It was found that żentyca is a product of high nutritional and dietary value which depends on the period of production.

25.4.2020